FAQ

General¶

The ROI chart I am looking at does not show any information, why is this?¶

In most cases, the ROI chart does not show any dynamics because there was no activity during the reviewed period. Try reconfiguring the chart period to a longer time frame. If there is still no information, please report about the problem to us.

Can I trade myself when I am copying other strategies?¶

When you are copying a strategy, you can still trade yourself but using a regular account. You cannot trade yourself using a copy-trading account.

Can live accounts copy demo strategies?¶

Yes, you can copy demo strategies with your live account. However, you should be aware that demo traders risk with virtual funds more willingly and can provide more aggressive strategies.

For Investors¶

How much do I need to pay to copy a strategy?¶

This fully depends on the copy-trading commission established by the strategy provider, which can include performance, management, and volume fees in any combination. Some strategies are provided on a free basis. Before you start copying a strategy, you will see all incurring fees on the 'Start Copying' button.

What happens if the strategy provider stops providing the strategy that I am copying?¶

Your strategy provider can stop providing the strategy you are copying at any time. In this case, all your copied open positions will be closed, and all the unrealised performance and management fees will be realised. The preview status of your copy-trading account will be changed to 'Stopped'. The stopped strategies can be restarted by the strategy provider and can be copied again by the investor unless they are removed.

Can I close the trades that I have copied from my strategy provider?¶

All the positions that your strategy provider has opened on your behalf are listed in the 'Positions' tab of your investment profile (just like your positions in a regular account). However, you can only view opened positions in a copy-trading account. The only way for investors to close all positions at once is to stop copying the strategy.

How many strategy providers can I copy from?¶

When you start copying a strategy, you allocate a certain amount of funds from your regular account to a copy-trading account. This suggests that you can allocate funds to as many copy-trading accounts as you wish until your account balance allows for doing this. Technically, there is no limit on how many strategies you can copy on cTrader.

What happens when I stop copying a strategy?¶

When you stop copying a strategy, all open positions copied from that strategy will be automatically closed for your copy-trading account, and the unrealised performance and management fees will be realised after that. This is because you cannot receive a close signal once you have stopped copying.

Can I contact my strategy provider?¶

You can contact your strategy provider if they have specified their contacts in the strategy profile. Partners who provide strategies and have public profiles usually share their contact details with invited traders in the 'Partner' tab of the 'Invite' application.

Are the stop loss and take profit protections copied from the strategy I copy?¶

The protections (i.e., stop loss and take profit) are not copied by copy-trading accounts, still, the closing signal of the strategy is copied. Therefore, if a stop loss or take profit protection is executed by the strategy provider and the respective position is closed, this position will also be closed in the investor's copy-trading account.

My copy-trading account history contains trades that do not exist in the strategy provider's history. Why is this happening?¶

After any balance operation in the investor's or strategy provider's account, cTrader Copy changes positions in the investor's copy-trading account to implement the equity-to-equity algorithm. In this case, the copy-trading account history can log the trades that are missing in the strategy provider's account.

My copy-trading account history is missing trades that have been executed by the strategy provider. Why is this happening?¶

If a copy-trading account does not have sufficient funds to copy a strategy, or an investor does not have the trading instruments that the strategy provider is using, the respective trades of the strategy provider's account will not be copied, and therefore will not be logged in the investor's copy-trading account.

If the investor's account leverage is lower than the strategy provider's account leverage, there is a chance that the investor's free margin will not be enough to copy all the trades of this strategy, and the copy-trading account may reach the Stop Out earlier than the strategy provider's account. Such trades may fail to be copied, and therefore they will not be logged in the copy-trading account history.

How can I check the fees that have been charged to my account when copying a strategy?¶

You can always check the strategy conditions in the 'Details' section of the investment profile. The applied performance and management fees are displayed in the 'Transactions' tab of your copy-trading account. The volume fee can be located in the 'History' tab, and the unrealised volume fee is available in the 'Positions' tab. The respective columns are disabled by default but you can right-click on the column headings and enable them in from the dropdown.

What if my account currency is other than USD? How are the commissions that I pay calculated?¶

The fees to be deducted will be converted from USD into the currency of your copy-trading account at the actual rate at the processing time.

For Strategy Providers¶

Who can see my strategy?¶

By default, anyone who can access cTrader Copy will see your strategy in the strategy list if it meets the inclusion requirements. However, strategy listing may vary from broker to broker. To start copying a strategy, investors will have to log in using their cTrader ID credentials. If your strategy is out of the strategy list, you can still offer it for copying via a direct link.

Can I make my strategy completely private and visible only to certain investors?¶

No, you cannot make your strategy private. Even if your strategy is not shown in the common strategy list, anyone who has a direct link can access it. However, you can limit the visibility of your open positions in the strategy settings.

How many strategies can I create?¶

On cTrader, there is no limit on the number of strategies you can create and provide. However, you will need a separate trading account for every new strategy you are creating. Note that new accounts are created with the broker and should be linked to your cTrader ID.

Can I copy other strategy providers' strategies if I am already a strategy provider?¶

Yes, you can copy other strategies while providing your own strategy for copying. This is possible due to the allocation of a copy-trading account. When you start copying a strategy, a specified amount of funds is added from your regular account to your copy-trading account. As a result, the copy-trading account does not directly interact with the main account which provides a strategy for copying.

Can I contact the investors who copy my strategy?¶

All investors will stay anonymous unless they initiate contact with you via the channels you can specify in the strategy profile. If you are promoting strategies as a partner, invited traders can see your contact details in the 'Partner' tab of cTrader Invite.

Are my pending orders visible to other cTrader Copy users?¶

All limit, stop, and stop limit orders with the applied protection mechanisms will remain hidden. Regarding your open positions, you can configure in the strategy settings who will see them: everyone, only investors, or no one.

Can I stop being a strategy provider?¶

Yes, you can stop providing a strategy at any time, then adjust its settings, and restart if needed. Note that you cannot delete strategies, they are auto-deleted after an inactivity period. When you stop a strategy, all open positions within this strategy will be closed for the investors who are copying it.

Will my trades be copied by investors if I execute them from different platforms (e.g., cTrader Web, cTrader Mobile, etc.)?¶

You can trade on your strategy from any cTrader platform you consider convenient. All trades placed on your account will be automatically copied by your investors.

How much can I charge for my strategy?¶

If you wish, you can provide your strategy on a free basis. Alternatively, you can establish three types of fees in any combination: performance fee (up to 30% of the investor's net profit), management fee (up to 10% of the investor's equity), and volume fee (up to USD 10 per million volume).

How will the fees be paid to me?¶

All copy-trading fees are paid by the broker in the form of a deposit to other than the strategy account as soon as these fees are charged to the investor's copy-trading account.

Are there any fees for providing strategies?¶

No, Spotware does not apply any fees to strategy providers.

Can strategy providers charge commissions in lots instead of units?¶

No, you cannot configure the type of volume in which you charge for your strategy, everything is converted into units of USD volume.

Contact Us¶

If you encounter any difficulties while using cTrader Copy, please refer to our forum to receive qualified support.